Handmaids Tale

Question 1

Moira

Answer 1

-Name: keeps her name throughout shows her resistance Hebrew means rebellion sums up her character
-a foil to offred she is brave politically challenging and rebellious.

Question 2

Moira quotes

Answer 2

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-‘Purple overalls one dangly earring gold fingernail’
Overalls signify eccentricity and individuality showing her unorthodox nature
- wrote a paper on date rape always been a feminist bringing up issues offred says it sounds like a desert foil to Moira
-I said I was in love she said that was no excuse morally correct isn’t afraid to speak her mind yes you’re in love but another persons involved.
-Moira was ‘our fantasy […] she was lava beneath the crust of daily life’ a role model metaphor shows power she holds gives others hope lava spreads and so does ash she escaped gives hope crust is easily broken thus showing fragility of gilead.
-‘[she] feels safe that Moiras here’
Does she feel safe or comfortable she’ll rebel so offred doesn’t have to do anything she relies on Moira
-Moira expected this to happen ‘Moira was not stunned the way I was […] this is what she had been expecting always held more knowledge than offred

Question 3

Serena Joy

Answer 3

-Name: ironic think her to sweet joyful total opposite
-defiance comes from masculinisation of herself she smokes
-link to phyllis schafley a powerful conservative activist in who promoted traditional views opposed feminism
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Question 4

Serena Joy quotes

Answer 4

-the Cigarette out, half smoked decisively one jab and one grind
Determiner one conclusion a masc trait decisiveness not stereotypical of a woman robotic action too feels trapped in a society she helped make
- Serena joys garden ‘many of the wives had gardens it’s something for them to order and maintain and to care for’ something to control and act motherly too everything they want in life flowed a symbol of fertility ironic Serena is infertile link to garden of Eden biblical imagery
-she was aiming, positioning the blades of the shears, then cutting with a convulsive jerk’ she is the disturbing element of the garden of Eden she knows that so she gets violent less composed side to her holds resentment to the perfect garden is this really all she has a garden?
-‘just like the other one. A slut. You’ll end up the same.’ Angry at the commander or at offred maybe realising that the commander is the problem in this situation

Question 5

Aunt Lydia

Answer 5

-name: familiarity, ironic they’re controlling and mean
-serves as a malevolent guide for offred as she navigates the oppressive regime of gilead